The Jonesboro City Council will make a final consideration of a one-cent sales tax plan for the city. During tonight’s special meeting of the council, the third and final reading of the plan will take place before alderman will vote on final approval. If approved by the council tonight, a special election on the sales tax proposal would take place November 10th. Jonesboro Mayor Harold Perrin says the tax is needed for infrastructure improvements and to bring more businesses to Jonesboro. 7/8 cents of the tax would go toward funding 20 transportation projects in the city and would generate just over 14 million dollars a year. The remaining 1/8 cent of the tax would go toward the development of the Jonesboro Economic Development Commission and would generate almost two million dollars a year. If approved, money would be collected starting next June and the tax would last for 10 years. Perrin says several public meetings would take place to explain the need for the tax before the election.
Johnathan Reaves is the News Director for KASU Public Radio. As part of an Air Force Family, he moved to Arkansas from Minot, North Dakota in 1986. He was first bitten by the radio bug after he graduated from Gosnell High School in 1992. While working on his undergraduate degree, he worked at KOSE, a small 1,000 watt AM commercial station in Osceola, Arkansas. Upon graduation from Arkansas State University in 1996 with a degree in Radio-Television Broadcast News, he decided that he wanted to stay in radio news. He moved to Stuttgart, Arkansas and worked for East Arkansas Broadcasters as news director and was there for 16 years.